spurs Legend and NBA Hall of Famer Tim Duncan is expected to return to the franchise next season to help develop French phenom Victor Wembanyama, the widely assumed No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
San Antonio, which won the top pick in Tuesday’s draft lottery, plans to enlist the services of Duncan as a court mentor for Wembanyama during his transition to the NBA,According to NBA insider Mark Stein. Duncan, the top seed in 1997, is said to be helping the 19-year-old throughout the season when the team is in town.
“The expectation is that [Duncan] He will regularly visit the team’s training facility to work with Wimpanyama when Spurs come home,” Stein reported in his latest newsletter released on Saturday.
It is unknown if Duncan will join the Spurs in an official capacity, but his reported participation will mark the first time the five-time NBA champion and 15-time All-Star has worked with the team since serving as an assistant coach in the 2019-20 season.
Stein’s report adds another eye-catching headline to a Wembanyama-centric week with the well-documented lottery to get his draft rights now.
Spurs’ expected selection for Wimpanyama will be the first time since Duncan, who retired in 2016 after 19 seasons, has made an outstanding selection for the team. It would also be the third time in franchise history (David Robinson, 1987) that they’ve had the #1 spot.
With the allure surrounding the new era continuing, Duncan’s return on top of a first-choice arrival is sure to excite Spurs fans in a big way as the franchise, which started off a 22-60 season, rebuilds for the future. Not to mention, learning from one of the NBA’s all-time greats should lead to boosting the much-touted prospect on the ground and with his new fanbase.